Cable/satellite channel Encore Westerns will be presenting a 28-hour marathon of John Wayne movies on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009. The marathon will be interspersed with interviews featuring George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, John McCain, Ethan Wayne (John Wayne's son), and others.

The tribute begins at 8pm ET and will include the following movies:

• The Undefeated at 8:00 p.m. - (John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Tony Aguilar)
• Rooster Cogburn at 10:05 p.m. - (John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe)
• Blue Steel at 12 a.m. - (John Wayne, Eleanor Hunt, George "Gabby" Hayes)
• The Man From Utah at 1:00 a.m. - (John Wayne, George "Gabby" Hayes, Polly Ann Young)
• Randy Rides Alone at 2:00 a.m. - (John Wayne, Alberta Vaughn, George "Gabby" Hayes)
• The Star Packer at 3:00 a.m. - (John Wayne, Verna Hillie, George "Gabby" Hayes)
• The Trail Beyond at 4:00 a.m. - (John Wayne, Noah Beery Sr., Noah Berry Jr.)
• The Lawless Frontier at 5:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Sheila Terry, George "Gabby" Hayes)
• 'Neath The Arizona Skies at 6:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, George "Gabby" Hayes, Harry Fraser)
• Texas Terror at 7:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Lucile Browne, Leroy Mason)
• The Desert Trail at 8:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Mary Kornman, Eddy Chandler)
• The Dawn Rider at 9:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Marion Burns, Yakima Canutt)
• Paradise Canyon at 10:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Marion Burns, Earle Hodgins)
• In Old California at 11:05 a.m. - (John Wayne, Binnie Barnes, Albert Dekker)
• Dakota at 12:40 p.m. - (John Wayne, Vera Hruba Ralston, Walter Brennan)
• Angel and the Badman at 2:10 p.m. - (John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey)
• North To Alaska at 4:00 p.m. - (John Wayne, Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs)
• The Comancheros at 6:05 p.m. - (John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Lee Marvin)
• Chisum at 8:00 p.m. - (John Wayne, Ben Johnson, Forrest Tucker)
• The Cowboys at 10:00 p.m. - (John Wayne, Bruce Dern, Robert Carradine)

While some of these movies aren't his better-known works, they do provide a good mix of the well-known and the lesser-known. The omission of his major breakout role in Stagecoach is interesting, but perhaps it's a result of getting the necessary rights for broadcast. The two biggest omissions are The Shootist (his final movie) and The Searchers, which is perhaps the most highly regarded of all of his movies.

Turner Classic Movies also has a Memorial Day weekend marathon going on, with 36 movies being shown over 72 hours. On the list are many great movies, including a few starring John Wayne! Flying Tigers, Back to Bataan, They Were Expendable, and The Fighting Seabees aren't westerns, but they're worth catching nonetheless!

Source: Starz Entertainment Press Release, TCM web site